La Maison de Mamie - Strawberry Hill

La Maison de Mamie: A really quiet and gracious holiday home for extended families or other groups of up to 13 people.

Looking for your own piece of paradise for a quiet holiday away from it all? Peace and quiet, total privacy, fresh air, but plenty to see and do nearby if and when the mood takes you? Welcome to La Maison de Mamie!

The pandemic is still a reality, one year on. Hope is on the horizon with the arrival of the vaccines, but it's still not the time to head to the beach where you'll be sitting on top of each other with thousands of other holidaymakers. Nor is it the time to travel by train or plane to faraway destinations.

So where to go near the major French conurbations?

The Morvan Regional Nature Park, one of France's best-kept secrets, is less than three hours from Paris, and just over two hours from Lyon. At its heart, you'll find La Maison de Mamie, offering a place where you can relax in complete privacy, comfort and security, surrounded by 6,000 m2 of private lawns and forest, with a swimming pool, modern fitness facilities and all the modern amenities you're used to (broadband internet, television, Netflix/Amazon prime, a Nespresso machine, etc.).
In the heart of the beautiful Morvan nature park, the concept of this holiday home is to live graciously in a spacious and comfortable old house as your grandmother might have lived in it - with high ceilings, beautiful plaster mouldings, beautiful wooden floors, magnificent antique wood-burning stoves and period furniture (look at the photos!). What you won't find is Ikea furniture or immaculate, sterile decorations. (If you're looking for that kind of accommodation, it's a dime a dozen on any holiday rental website). The house looks as if it has been lived in, filled with books (mainly in English, but also in French) and lovely paintings and antiques. It really does feel like Grandma's house.

Accommodation inside
There are three bedrooms on the 1st floor (2nd for you Americans), one of which has an en-suite shower room and toilet and all with double beds. There is also a beautiful and stylish modern bathroom with integrated toilet.

On the second floor you'll find two further bedrooms, one with two single beds, and a huge 30m2 room that can be used as a children's dormitory as it sleeps five, with a bunk bed (double downstairs, single upstairs) and a comfortable sofa bed that can sleep two more (so ok, Ikea furniture!) The roof is well insulated, so even in a heatwave the second floor remains comfortable.

The ground floor includes a spacious living room, dining room and library, as well as the kitchen with a beautiful La Canche cooker and marble countertops. The ground floor is surrounded on three sides by a spacious terrace and there are tables and chairs for al fresco dining, if you prefer.

The immediate surroundings
The house is built on a hill, on the lower part of a large plot of land that includes woodland and lawns. Everything is perfectly private, so there is plenty of space for children to wander around safely, and the swimming pool will provide hours of fun for children and adults alike.

The property is situated on the edge of the village of Chissey-en-Morvan, which is one of the few small villages in the region to have a small grocery shop and - if the authorities allow it to re-open - a charming café. Bread and pastries have to be ordered a day in advance before noon, but it's only a few minutes' walk to the shop to get your daily baguette and newspaper. The shop is not large, but it has a good selection of fresh fruit and vegetables and a range of essentials, from wine to deodorant. At weekends, you can even order pizzas and roast chicken!

Chissey-en-Morvan is midway between two lively historic towns - Saulieu to the north and Autun to the south, both a twenty-minute drive away. Autun is larger and home to all the major supermarket chains. The only major supermarket in Saulieu is a B1 (part of the Auchan group) and you'll find everything you need there.

Other things to know
This is the first summer that La Maison de Mamie has been operational, although its manager is well experienced in the field. Our website, lamaisondemamie-morvan.fr is now up and running with more information about the house, its facilities and what there is to see and do in the area. And don't forget that on the site, you can make a booking request without the extra charges that are always added on interfaces such as AirBNB or Abritel. So don't hesitate to pay us a visit!

Finally, it's always useful to know what to expect. You can expect to holiday in a charming, private and gracious old house that is beautiful, clean and fully functional (from plentiful hot water and high-speed internet to a very well-equipped kitchen and well-kept grounds). What you shouldn't expect is a sterile gite furnished a la Ikea, or perfection. There will be a little (a tiny bit!) of scuffed paint, and a few scratches in the wooden floors. If you don't mind, then you're in for a dream holiday in the heart of France.

Book your holiday now!

Show less